Mariners' Julio Rodriguez predicted as 'late bloomer' MVP candidate

TL;DR

Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners is being predicted as a potential MVP candidate, despite historically slow starts in April. Analysts expect a significant breakout performance from him in the upcoming months.

Key points

Julio Rodriguez is a center fielder for the Seattle Mariners.
Rodriguez had a .755 OPS with two home runs in April.
Analysts expect a breakout performance from Rodriguez in May and June.

Julio RodriguezSeattle Mariners

Mariners' Julio Rodriguez predicted as 'late bloomer' MVP candidate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez often slumps his way through April, only to heat up at the plate in May and June.

Fans of the AL West club are hoping that's the case again this year, as Rodriguez managed a .755 OPS with just two home runs last month.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes there's a big breakout coming for the three-time All-Star, despite noting his early struggles.

"The whole first half just isn't his jam, at least not when compared to the second half. For his career, he has a .738 OPS for the former and a .902 OPS for the latter," Rymer wrote Monday. "On a year-to-year basis, he's basically a late bloomer as an MVP candidate."

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In the previous seven days, Rodriguez hit .346/.346/.731 with six RBIs.

Q&A

What are Julio Rodriguez's early season performance statistics?

In April, Julio Rodriguez had a .755 OPS and hit only two home runs.

Why is Julio Rodriguez considered a 'late bloomer' MVP candidate?

Rodriguez is labeled a 'late bloomer' due to his tendency to struggle in April but significantly improve in May and June.

Who predicted Julio Rodriguez's breakout performance this season?

Zachary D. Rymer from Bleacher Report believes that a big breakout is coming for Julio Rodriguez this season.